𝐆𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 || #𝟏

Chapter 28

"C-claudia," my mother stutters. "You aren't seriously thinking about wearing that, are you?"

"Of course I am!" Claudia grins, "I've got to put on my best impression if I want to be a lawyer!"

"That's a Judge's outfit, not a lawyer," I point out. Claudia sticks out her tongue at me.

"You know what?" My mother sighs, "we haven't got anymore time. Let's just go have dinner with them."

-- ------ --

The doorbell rings out, as we patiently wait for the door to open. Alexis' mother opens the door with a bright smile, greeting us and telling us to come inside. Claudia fangirls hard, and Alexis' mother's smile fades instantly once she sees what Claudia is in her... Unique outfit...

"What are you wearing?" She kindly asks, gesturing at the long robe.

"I'm wearing a lawyer's outfit!" Claudia grins, "I want to be a lawyer when I grow up."

I snigger while mum hangs her head in disappointment. Alexis' mother cannot mask the second-hand embarrassment for Claudia, and coughs.

"Sweetie," she begins, "those are for judge's to wear."

Claudia's jaw drops as she finds out about this realisation. Her hands fly to her mouth as she sulks in embarrassment. I am internally laughing my eyes out while mum clears her throat.

While we make our way to the dinner table, Claudia is basking in the humiliation. She stares at the ground the entire time, and refuses to partake in any conversation. As I sit down, I can feel the wrath of Alexis on my face, and I try to ignore it.

As Alexis' mum sets down the food on the table, and tries to start some friendly conversations. Surprisingly, Claudia doesn't take this as an opportunity to pounce and ask her about law, but instead focuses on her meal. My mum and Alexis' mum have a talk about property prices, before they finally get onto the topic of Alexis and I.

"Isn't it just great that we live next to each other now?" Alexis' mother asks, "not everyone gets to live next door to their best friend. It's nice, isn't it, Alexis?"

"Yes mum," Alexis grumpily drawls out, taking another swing on her drink. Alexis' mother frowns from her unenthusiasm, and then focuses her attention on me.

"Jasmine, how's school these days? Is it hard?"

"Oh," I nervously laugh, "it's not too bad. I already know most of the work we're covering in maths class, which in a lot of peoples opinion is hard. So it's fine."

"That's good," Alexis' mother remarks. "I just wish that Alexis could work a little harder in school, she almost failed her last test."

Alexis looks shocked, and pissed at the same time at her mother. She glares at her, then at me. I can hear her whisper underneath her breath about how she didn't want other people knowing about her recent test, but Alexis' mum shrugs.

"Maybe if you just worked a little harder and stopped hanging out with all of your friends this wouldn't have happened," Alexis' mother scolds in a hushed voice. "Math isn't the only subject that you're almost failing, English too. And to think that we paid so much for tutoring, only to find out that you make that poor girl do all your homework."

"She volunteered! It's not like I forced Angel to do anything!" Alexis defends. Claudia finally decides that she should stop sulking, and sits up straighter. My mother awkwardly eats while I fumble around with my fingers.

"Anyways, we saw you at the musical Jasmine, you have a very beautiful voice," Alexis' mum says, changing the subject.

"That's very kind of you to say," I thank.

"I was also the lead of the musical as well," Alexis adds in from jealousy - before shooting a venomous glare at me. "If I didn't break my leg then I would've performed."

"Oh yes," her mother scolded, "I remember now. I heard that you blamed your broken leg on Jasmine, your teacher told me. Thank god that boy, Shawn was it? Thank god he defended her, or she really would've gotten in trouble. In fact, you still haven't apologised to her, have you?"

"When did this happen?" My mother questions me, looking at me in shock, "did she do that?"

"Oh yes," Alexis' mother answers, "she did. Hearing the calls from her friends, she not only did that but they also tried to lock Jasmine in a dressing room on opening night just so Alexis could perform. It's a miracle that she got out."

"Mum!" Alexis hissed, slightly banging the table - "stop it. That's enough."

"I just wish that the girls would get along," Alexis' mother sighed. "But even when they were kids, it seemed that one girl in particular was controlling the other. Wasn't it?"

"Stop!" Alexis whispered. She tugged Aileen's shoulder, who was focusing on eating her meal. Aileen looks over at the two of them, and opens her big mouth.

"What's, like, going on?" She sassily asks, "sorry. I wasn't, like, listening, I was just thinking about why the human body, like, needs to breathe. I tried to, like, hold my breath, but I kept on breathing." Aileen stares dumbly at the rest of us. "I was also like thinking about why like humans feel pain when we get, like, hit by something. Like, for example, if I, like, stabbed myself with this fork right now I would be in like... So much, like, pain."

"Why don't you let the grownups talk, and you two can go off and try to resolve this issue by yourselves," Alexis' mother kindly suggests. "I think that might be best."

Alexis and I both get up from the table, and Alexis' mother leads us to the living room. We both sit down on the couch, looking at each other before Alexis clears her throat.

"Well, I thought you'd just like to know," Alexis smirks. "Shawn and I are on great terms now, we haven't broken up. If that's what you wanted, bad luck."

"That's really good," I commented, "I'm happy for you."

"What about Luke? I'm sure you and him are... Getting a little more serious."

"Yeah, he's a nice guy. We've been on a couple of dates, but we aren't official yet."

"Just think, if you two start dating we can go on a double date!" Alexis squealed, "but on a more serious note... Why are you waiting?"

"What do you mean?" I sputter.

"It's obvious the boy likes you," she rolls her eyes. "You're just breaking his heart by not... Giving your all in your relationship, and I know why. It's because of Shawn, isn't it?"

"N-no!" I stutter, trying to sound confident. "Of course I don't like Shawn in a romantic way, he's your boyfriend."

Alexis grins at me. "Of course," she sarcastically remarks. "He's mine. Not yours, and you better remember that the next time you try cosying up to him. Because if you pull something like what happened at the night of the musical, you better believe that I won't let you get off so easily."